Arsenal Star Admits Club Is Battling 'Negative Spiral' Ahead of AC Milan Showdown

Laurent Koscielny has admitted that Arsenal are in the midst of a 'negative spiral' but backed his teammates to haul the club out of their current mire.

The Gunners star was quoted by BBC Sport as he explained why it was imperative for the Premier League side to stop feeling sorry for themselves and come out of the other side of the tunnel.

Arsenal have lost eight of their 14 games in all competitions in 2018 and, after Sunday's shock 2-1 loss to Brighton, find themselves well off the pace for a Champions League qualification spot.

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Arsene Wenger's men take on revitalised Serie A club AC Milan in the Europa League last-16 stage on Thursday, and Koscielny wants his fellow players to speak positively to themselves in a bid to turn their fortunes around.

He said: "We need to have positive voices in our heads because the brain dictates the body and the legs. We are in a negative spiral and it's difficult to get out of this.

"When you have bad results, it's always bad for the team. We are disappointed with how we played. We need to be together. That's the most important. 

"We have to be positive to have a good result and step by step we will come back stronger."

North London rivals Tottenham, who hold the fourth and final qualification berth, are a massive 13 points clear of Arsenal while fellow capital side Chelsea are eight points clear of the Gunners in fifth position.

The Europa League remains Arsenal's only chance of silverware this season after they were defeated in the Carabao Cup final by Manchester City last month and bowed out of the FA Cup 4-2 to Nottingham Forest in a stunning third round tie in January.

Four defeats on the spin in all competitions has led to fans calling for Wenger's sacking or resignation, while reports have claimed that splits in the dressing room over each player's wages have emerged too.